The RDM Conundrum | Opinion Poll!

In a matter of 11 weeks, your interim manager wins you the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. He not only wins the trophies but also brings back the famous spirit and determination that your team is known for. He also brings back the harmony, camaraderie and teamwork in the team that was fractured and bruised few months back. He’s written himself in the history books of Chelsea FC with the little opportunity he was provided. What would you do?

Every man and his dog thinks appointing RDM as the permanent manager is a no-brainer. He’s won you two trophies in 3 months. He’s won the most-coveted, most-sought after champions league. Most people don’t understand why there should be any delay. There were people who have been saying that he should be given the job – after the first leg against Barca, after the Camp Nou game, after the FA Cup win and the champions league win has won everybody over.

There’s a small minority that’s not so gung-ho about appointing RDM. This minority doesn’t undermine his achievements but has its doubts on whether RDM would do justice to a full time manager role which means a wide range of expectations than just the focus on winning things by any means. Like we say in football, you can only beat who’s in front of you. He was given a short term role as the interim manager and he couldn’t have done better than that. In fact, even if Chelsea had appointed any other established manager in March, they’d fared poorer in comparison with RDM. And if they’d done a great job, they’d still only have matched what RDM achieved. But the minority is still murmuring. I’m part of that minority.

And, it’s interesting to note that almost all in that minority are Chelsea fans. 100% of the non-Chelsea fans think that RDM should be appointed as Chelsea manager. The only doubters are coming from the Chelsea camp. Where’s this doubt coming from? And why are these doubts arising despite this amazing finish to the season?

What do we expect from the Chelsea manager? This is an article I wrote here in the BlueChampions Blog exactly 4 years back. It’s still relevant. In addition to what’s mentioned there in that article, we now have some new expectations I think.

Rebuild the entire squad: The golden generation of Chelsea is coming to a close. If not now, surely within a year’s time, most of the players that were bought in the Jose Mourinho era would be gone. A complete refresh of the squad needs to happen.

Build a new legacy: Now we belong in the elite league of European champions. This comes with certain expectations. We have won every major thing that there is to be won. While the desire for success would continue to be there, I’d imagine there will be also be a desire to enter into new phase in Chelsea’s history.

Establish a certain brand: While the above is more about the conduct of the club, this one’s more about the conduct of the team. How do we want to play going forward? What would be our ideology and philosophy? What should we be known for? What’s our identity?

I think anyone who becomes a manager of Chelsea FC now will not only be measured on successes and trophies but also on the above parameters too. Will Roberto di Matteo be able to deliver the above? Can he work with a different set of players and still be successful? Is he our man for the future? Will RDM take us to the next level in the next 3-4 years?

What I am? Uber football addict, optimistic Chelsea fan, casual gamer and long time blogger with views and opinions rather than stats and data. What I'm not? Expert, analyst, pundit or self-proclaimed guru of anything. I choose when to be biased and when not to be. Views and opinions are all mine and not what you always might want to see. Follow me on twitter @bluechampion for the headlines.

25 Comments

My desire to see Di Matteo made permanent manager, atleast for a season, is purely down to the fact no one is available that is guaranteed to do a better job than he is. No possible appointment stands out to me as someone who doesn't represent a risk on the club's part - and that includes RDM. But we have to take a risk on somebody - I think he has earned it.

Also, I still don't think the club needs a whole new philosophy either. Looking at the talent and agressive nature of the players we're linked with, I think the common sense and ability to organise a team that RDM has shown, will be enough to allow this Chelsea team to win with attacking/exciting football next year.

Nobody knows guardiola before becoming barca coach, while does chelsea fc always look for an establish coach. We bought one and sack him after 6 month. Which coach in the world can use bentrand on a champins league final

Under Di Matteo, Chelsea has onky played and won 2 games convincingly; the 6-1 win over QPR and the 4-1 win over Napoli. The major difference between those matches and others was that Mikel didnt play, Mikel is really slow, has no work rate and doesnt really contribute much to the team - he's a burden on the team. Most of the times when Essien plays, Chelsea's performance is usually better. Other from that, theyve played terribly. I have no clue how they won 2 trophies with that kind of performance even though I support Chelsea.

It's unfair to RDM to keep him hanging on. He should be given the job or let go. Simple! It would be ironic if Chelsea let him go and hire another manager who ends up winning nothing, losing the dressing room and getting sacked. We need continuity and RDM is the man to do the job. The players like him and respect his status as a Chelsea legend. They play for him. Give him at least 2 years. 1 year will not make him feel trusted or wanted.

@Kris: What about the 5-1 against Spurs and the FA Cup final? To me it's painstakingly clear Mikel is a far better and more important player than Essien these days. His performace in the UCL final was pretty much inch perfect and I'd say a pretty fair reflection of his form under RDM. His tackling, his interceptions, his passing and ball retention from deep have all massively improved.
He'll never be a match winner but is still crucial for us atm and he's only going to improve. To say he's a burden is ludicrous.

@Ronin: The 5-1 against Spurs was because of the misallowed goal that made it 2-0, after that Tottenham's formation changed from 451 to 442, to go for a goal. That opened them up and caused all sorts of problems at the back. You now nothing if u say MIkel is "crucial" for the team, he doenst tackle and is slow as fuck, thats why Chelsea hardly has any attacking potential when the attcakers have to be dropping back because of his unproductiveness, people just run around him like he isnt there. Mikel, Kalou and Bosingwa are the reason that Chelsea is always defending for their lives and being the weaker team. Watch the way how he plays before you talk. He just has simple ball retention and passing, Romeu is much better there - better vision. "Inch perfect performance in the final" ?! Shut the fuck up. Youre just listening to what Gary Neville - the commentator said and that was bullshit. Ribery just kept running round Mikel and Bosingwa and Lampard kept on having to come from his left Dmid position to make last ditch tackles on the right. The first shot that Robben took that Cech instinctly saved and it hit the bar; Robben just passed Mikel like he wasnt there and MIkel doent even try too run back. Useless player. Watch the highlight befor you compile an argument for him.

Chelsea won the champion league so Chelsea is the king of Europe....how they won that is not important....if you want to attack then you can win so that is okay but if we want to defend then we win so what is the problem....if you like to attack better you support barcelona....i support Chelsea and i dont care how they play.....there is not lucky in life...chelsea won the champion league because they are good and better than man utd...barcelona...real madrid..etc.....2012 is the year for chelsea in champion league...all the players are very very good because they are the champion......

@Kris: Your obvious prejudice towards the player is depressing. Bosingwa and Kalou never really improved over their time at Chelsea but Mikel has become a fantastic midfield player and that is the consensus these days on pretty much every forum and analyst - you the only person Ive heard of so far choosing to remain ignorant.
Why don't you try watching him? You be able to count on one hand the number of times he gives the ball away or picks the wrong pass. Unlike Essien, whose performances sadly have been terrible since his return.
Either way this is a pointless argument, things like a players speed and composure and pass stats aren't something that can be debated. You either notice them or disregard them through blind bigotry. I dont care which you do.

Like you said "in Football you can only beat what is in front of you" . RDM was given a job to do with a team of players without the possibility of adding to it. What did we expect , that he would suddenly turn Malouda into Messi style talent or Mikel into xavi ? He used the resources available to him and turned that into a winning formula achieving what the 8 managers before couldn't achieve even when the had the opportunity of setting up a team they way the liked. He did what he needed to as interim coach and excelled, at the very least he has earned the right to try as Full time manager where he can build his own team. West Brom ( I know not a great example but still ) did play nice following football under RDM. Maybe he could bring a blend of the nice football everyone wants and the grit and determination that has carried us this far. For me it is a no brainier , give RDM the job , even if its just for 1 year and not giving him the job to me sends the wrong impression that CFC do not reward achievement or success. Look at it this way if RDM had won the Champions League with another team would he be on a short list for this Job, I think so , he would probably even get it. Has done well for the club as a player and now as a manager ? Common Guys it is a no brainier !!!

To which of the players in particular, would you attribute our recent successes of UCL and FA cup victories and the partial resurgence in the league ? ... I can say, it would primarily be Drogba, Cech, Lampard, Ramires, Ashley Cole, Iva and Terry (mainly for his header against Napoli)

Now, I think everyone would agree that except Ramires, the rest belong to the so called "old guard" assembled by Mourinho with his philosophy of diligent defending, effective set-pieces and swift counter-attacks deeply rooted in their playing styles.

I totally respect RDM and love him for his accomplishments over the past 3 months. Also, it takes guts to start a youngster in a UCL final. (a move which could've gone horribly wrong if bayern had scored b4 halftime). My point is, the core of the Chelsea team have been playing together for so long and have been thru so many ups and downs together, all they needed was a new face in the dressing room, they wanted to hear a new voice which wasn't textual(AVB) in nature and most importantly they pined for a guy who had trust in their footballing ability. Now, RDM manged to do all this and more and hence he could extract superlative performances from the afore-mentioned personnel.

Am I saying that he didn't have any tactical contribution at all...?? Absolutely not.. He definitely contributed by shuffling his formations and rotating his resources as per the super busy schedule... but finally when it came to the crunch matches.. guys like Drogba and Cech stepped up in a way that they have been doing for so many years now. They didnt have to be told what to do. They were already self managed on those terms.

Now, Drogba is out, Kalou and Bosingwa are gone too. I dunno if Malouda wud stay. ( i hope not), Essien might be off too. If you see, the CORE group of players assembled by JM is disintegrating and so is his philiosophy.

So now, The manager who comes has much more on his palate than just restoring faith and getting the confidence of his players. He has to BUILD a NEW SQUAD. With a new mentality, new culture, new attributes and at the same time ensure that the team is competitive to stay afloat in all competitions. AVB tried this, he harped about the " 3 year project", but it just didn't work out. I would solely put that down to inexperience and nothing else. AVB was good at what he did with Porto, but Chelsea were a different ball game all together.

It would be absolutely imperative for the new manager to have the experience, know-how and the patience to deal with this transition and at the same time instill a brand of football that can last at least for another decade. In my opinion, RDM still doesnt have such experience. He is a great guy no doubt, and he is capable enough to become a great manager. But in the current situation we need someone with has successfully undertaken a project like this before.

I would be glad if RDM was still there in a way what Ray Wilkins was to CA. But i doubt whether he would agree to do that. I have my reservations towards the appointment of Guardiola, but after reading about him as a youngster at La Masia, as a player in Barca, as a coach of Barca B team, and as the coach of Barca senior team, I can say that he would be a great choice, if he is given some freedom. Lets see what happens!!! KTBFFH

I have read some good points from some of you guys. Great views i must say. On my part, i think RDM has done what no other coach has been able to do this past 8yrs, that's WIN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. Sincerely, i would say we didn't win the champions league by playing good football. Let's be truthful to ourselves. Yes, we are all happy that at least we won the cup, but did we really enjoy the way and manner our team played? For me, is a big NO. For our long are we going to be playing football like that? RDM has done well for sure, but i think to give him this job full-time, will be a mistake on our part. What i think is right is, if we can get a Gaudiola or a Hiddink, fine, and give RDM the Ray Wilkins roll (like under CA). But if we can't, then will can give RDM a one year contract and the money to get all the players he thinks he wants and then see what happens.

HAZARD SIGNS!!!!!! read these comments
What they say about Hazard
"Hazard is a very good player. He has many qualities. He is particularly rapid in the first 10 yards."
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson
"He can play in any top team in the world, today or tomorrow."
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany
"His creative ability, his talent for unbalancing opponents, his vision of the game, and his consummate skill in making the final pass all make him an in-demand player."
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger
"Eden is technically gifted and very fast. I would take him to Real Madrid with my eyes closed. He can become a great footballer, he is a star of the future".
Real Madrid director of football and former France international Zinedine Zidane
"Faster than Zidane, more technique than Thierry Henry."
Former France international Christophe Dugarry
"At times he looks like Lionel Messi."
Former Marseille manager Rolland Courbis

We don't need Lucas Moura. We just signed Hazard and we already have Mata! Not to mention Marin and De Bruyne. I hope we loan De Bruyne to Lille or to West Ham for experience. But we need Falcao to score if Torres won't click. I'm really getting pissed off because of these Ivanovic rumors, he is the best right back in the world right now, yes BEST, better than Ramos, Maicon and overall better than Alves. So he should be sold even for £30 million cause he also has heart and that's rare to find.

I'm with you man. Great article. Don't get me wrong- I love RDM and have so much respect and admiration for what he has done for our club these last few months- but he is not the man to go forward with. We need a Benitez or Capello. And I would like to see the new era Chelsea team
Play a more fluent style, however with the same spirit and determination that has defined us the last decade